


Christmas Past and Present

by dk323



Category: Forever (TV)
Genre: Crossover, Gen, Henry Morgan and Merlin are roommates, foreverdrabbles1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2015-12-08
Packaged: 2018-05-05 15:03:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5379626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dk323/pseuds/dk323
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry spends his first Christmas with Merlin. He realizes something unexpected about a meeting decades ago on another cold winter day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Christmas Past and Present

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit of a prequel to my Forever/Merlin crossover I'm still working on. I'm posting this for the Forever Drabble Challenge for the prompt: New.

~ Christmas 2095 ~

The smell of cookies wafting from the oven beckoned Henry to the kitchen.

“Making use of your time off?” said Henry.

He watched as Merlin ate one of his creations: an M&M cookie by the looks of it.

These days, Merlin had chosen to be an elementary school teacher and currently was enjoying his winter break.

“Something like that,” said Merlin with a smile. 

“Ah all right. I’m on call, so I can’t say if I’ll be able to have Christmas at home, or in the ER.”

Henry had returned to be a physician in the Emergency Room after decades away. Following his time with Jo while being the Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, he couldn’t continue in the profession. For the time being at least. Too many memories. 

“We can hope for the best.”

“Could I try?”

“Of course. Maybe after breakfast though?”

“Yes, that was implied.”

Henry went to get a pan for his eggs but received an unexpected surprise.

He nearly jumped when he saw a mottled black and blue panther resting in front of the cabinets.

“What is that creature doing here?” He said, his voice raised, but he managed not to yell lest he awaken the panther.

“I’m sorry – should have introduced her sooner. That’s Hazel. She’s my magic. I conjured her into an animal just to have some company. I have long stretches of time where I’m just on my own, so it’s nice to have her. I’m sure you would understand. Being immortal too.”

“Yes, well, I don’t have the affinity to magically create animal companions.”

“I could help you with that, if you would like.”

Henry gave him a look. “No, that’s all right.”

“It doesn’t have to be a panther. To be honest, I didn’t know what my magic would turn into… I didn’t have full control of the spell. She turned out to be a panther, which surprised me. But I’ve grown accustomed to her.”

Henry tried not to dwell on the words “didn’t have full control of the spell.” Because when it came to big cats, he would rather be assured there was full control. After all, this corporeal manifestation of Merlin’s magic could make a good go at eating a human being. Even if Henry didn’t believe that would happen. Merlin had his quirks, but he wasn’t a killer – and that had to extend to his magic, which was of course inherently a part of him since he was born.

“You don’t strike me as a panther sort of man.”

Henry looked at the man in front of him. The one who was meant to be Merlin of Arthurian legend, but was flesh and blood here before him.

He had dark hair, blue eyes, ears that were a little big for his face. He was tall yet thin, and a strong wind would come close to knocking him down he imagined. And he looked young, only in his twenties. According to Merlin, he had stopped aging when Arthur had died hundreds of centuries ago. He had only been 29 then.

Merlin -- as Henry knew him for almost a year now -- looked like he’d fit in more at a college, not at the court of Camelot as King Arthur’s advisor.

Merlin grinned. “That’s what I thought too. But here we are.”

“You managed to keep her hidden for months from me.”

Merlin looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his head. “Sorry about that. I thought if I introduced you to her earlier, you’d leave. But now that you’ve gotten to know me, well… I thought Hazel would be a nice Christmas surprise.”

Henry raised his brow at him. “I’ve been through a lot of harrowing things in my long life, I think I can handle living with a magically created panther. I just require some time to get used to her.”

“I’m sure the both of you will get along fine.”

“You said Hazel? That’s her name?”

Henry recalled a memory from a certain sad year for him. It was the year Abraham had died.

Merlin nodded.

“There was a man at the hospital. In the waiting room. He said he was there for his granddaughter who had fallen ill. Her name was Hazel.”

“That man was me.” Merlin confessed.

“Aging spell? You looked different.”

“Yes.”

“So you’ve known about me for a long time.”

“That meeting was pure accident. I didn’t want to tell you it had been me…because I know you lost your son then. And Hazel… well, it wasn’t a good time for either of us. It’s not easy for me to talk about that period in my life.”

Henry understood.

He remembered.

~ December 2030 ~

Henry found it hard to leave Abraham’s side, but his son insisted. Abe didn’t want him sitting beside him, waiting until the other shoe would drop so to speak. While Henry knew his son was trying to put on a brave face, the both of them knew deep down that time was running out. The years had caught up to Abe. While oftentimes, Henry felt like the old one while Abe had a youthful spirit, always ready to take life by the horns, he was still a mortal man. Henry had to make peace that he would be without his son. The coming year would be a hard one. He couldn’t bear to think about it.

With a heavy heart, Henry went into the waiting room. There was an older man sitting in a nearly empty, too quiet room. 

The man looked up, apparently hearing Henry come in. 

“Hi,” Henry said, not wanting to talk – his mind full of concern for Abe – but then he disliked the quiet of the waiting room.

He was tempted to call Jo, to ask her to come and keep him distracted, but for now Henry decided to wait. He didn’t want to see Jo’s sad face, trying to be helpful in any way possible.

But in the end, it had been just him and Abe for years. And Henry wanted to stay true to that.

“Hello,” the man said.

The man nodded to the adjacent chair, offering the seat beside him. He put down his book, which Henry saw was T.H. White’s The Once and the Future King.

“Not many read books these days,” Henry couldn’t help but say. “I’m Henry.”

“I guess I’m old-fashioned. I’m Mitchell.”

“Read it probably more times than I should. But my son liked the story.” 

“Are you here for him?”

Mitchell shook his head. “My granddaughter. It’s just me and her.”

“I’m sorry. I’m here for my grandfather,” Henry told him.

Though it hurt to lie, he felt it was safest to continue the cover story. 

“What’s his name?”

“Abraham. What about you?”

“Hazel. Sometimes I wish it would get easier, to deal with loss, but it never is.”

Henry agreed, recalling seeing Abigail’s remains and knowing she was truly gone. He still missed her dearly.

~ * ~

Henry returned to the present. He saw that the panther, Hazel as Merlin called her, was awake. Her eyes were golden, glowing as he’d seen Merlin’s eyes do when he performed magic.

The glowing eyes gave the panther a more startling look, and Henry took an involuntarily step back.

Merlin nodded, understanding. “I know she can be a lot to take in. But she’s friendly. You can pet her if you like.”

Henry was certain that was the last thing he wanted to accomplish today. “You named her after your granddaughter?”

“Yes. Hazel used to love magical creatures. Unicorns, winged horses, griffins… the name fit. I’ve had Hazel for a long time, and she’s gone by different names. Hazel is one of her favorites.”

“She talks too?”

“Only in my head. She sounds like my mum. You’re not missing much.”

Merlin smiled, then he looked sad, probably remembering his mother. It was many centuries since she had lived, but that didn’t mean you didn’t stop missing them. Henry felt the same about all those he lost, his father and mother, siblings. He had been a different person then when they had been alive. Sometimes he couldn’t believe so many decades had gone by since their passing.

And Abigail... He often wished he had more time with her, more years, before she left him to protect his secret.

Then Abe, Jo, Lucas… it was a morbid train Henry hated to see grow longer. But he had to accept it would continue on this way, with any mortal man or woman he developed a connection with.

Except for Merlin, who was immortal like him, and hadn’t darkened his heart and soul as Adam had done. 

Henry surveyed Hazel, who peered equally as inquisitively at him, studying him, waiting for him to make a move.

“I give in. It’s Christmas, I might as well. Holiday spirit after all,” Henry said. “And if Abe were here, he’d be disappointed if I didn’t. He’d say, “And here I thought you were brave.””

“No better motivation than a son’s persuasive words.” Merlin nodded.

So as Merlin got out the freshly baked sugar cookies from the oven, Henry bent down in front of Hazel.

He reached out his hand and patted her on the head, stroking her dark fur behind her ears. She purred, accepting his touch.

“Maybe you can get a Santa hat on her head.” Merlin suggested.

“I think I’ll pass on that.”

Merlin looked amused. 

Henry went to make his breakfast, settling for toast with jam.

“Merry Christmas,” he thought to himself, “and here’s hoping to a peaceful New Year where I don’t end up stark naked in the nearest body of water.”

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

**Author's Note:**

> Hazel the panther is my creation from a Merlin fic I wrote a few years ago.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


End file.
